


Chaos Trio Plus The Doctor

by OnlyJustAMemory



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, It doesn’t go well, The Doctor (Doctor Who) Needs a Hug, a dash of angst, they try to bake a cake at some point, well angst that was suppose to be a dash but then the whole thing ended up being dumped out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-11
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:40:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23052595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnlyJustAMemory/pseuds/OnlyJustAMemory
Summary: “Everything was just so wrong. Time was swirling around her and this whole situation with Ruth, and Jack, and the Master… Something big was coming. Something big was coming for her. She’d thought that this new regeneration would give her a fresh start, that maybe she could finally bury her demons, but apparently not. She was the Doctor, and no matter how many times she tried to erase herself, the universe always seemed to remember her.”(The Doctor meets some old faces and has many hearts attacks as they interact with each other.)
Relationships: The Doctor/River Song, The Doctor/The Master (Doctor Who), Thirteenth Doctor/Jack Harkness, Thirteenth Doctor/Missy, Thirteenth Doctor/River Song
Comments: 12
Kudos: 177





	1. Jack

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I’ve wanted to write this for so long because Missy and River and Jack are iconic legends and I wanted them to meet. There are gonna be 5 chapters. Please pray for the Doctor and her mental wellbeing.

There was a drink in front of her and she couldn’t remember whether or not it was hers, but she honestly didn’t care right now. Without letting herself think too much about it, she grabbed the glass and downed the liquid in one go. It burned her throat and made her tongue go slightly numb, but she barely reacted otherwise. Her head kept on spinning (possibly due to the amount of alcohol she’d already consumed tonight) and her hearts kept on beating insanely fast. 

She couldn’t pinpoint precisely what was making her like this… Ok, maybe that was a lie. She knew exactly what was slowly turning her into an alcoholic, but naming it would make it real. Naming it would mean she couldn’t ignore it anymore. 

_ Classic Doctor. _

Against her better judgment, she signaled the bartender for another drink. One was placed down in front of her and with no hesitation, she chugged it down.

Everything was just so  _ wrong _ . Time was swirling around her and this whole situation with Ruth, and Jack, and the Master… Something big was coming. Something big was coming  _ for her. _ She’d thought that this new regeneration would give her a fresh start, that maybe she could finally bury her demons, but apparently not. She was the Doctor, and no matter how many times she tried to erase herself, the universe always seemed to remember her. 

_ Hello, I’m the Doctor.  _

She snorted. Was she even the Doctor anymore? What did being the Doctor mean? Once upon a time, she would have known, but now… 

Her home planet was gone and she’d never felt more alone. Sure she had her Fam, and she loved them, but it wasn’t the same. She’d locked them out of her past and maybe if she gave them the key things would be different, but she couldn’t muster herself to do that. She didn’t want them to know all that she’d done. She didn’t want them to know what she’d been.

Another gesture, another drink. This one she took calculated sips from. Drinking herself into oblivion wouldn’t solve anything, but for the moment it was all she had.

“Damn, Doctor.” A familiar voice said from behind her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink this much.”

She choked on the liquor. Her chest was beginning to ache, and this time it had nothing to do with the alcohol. 

“Jack?” she whispered, afraid if she said his name too loud he’d disappear. 

“Hey, Doc,” The other immortal said, slipping onto the barstool next to her. “Long time no see.” 

He was obviously checking her out and making no attempt to hide that, and she couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped her throat. Things changed, but it seemed like Captain Jack Harkness never would.

“How did you know it was me?”

“Tracked down your energy signal here. I honestly thought something was wrong when it showed you here, in this very cheap and crummy bar, but then I saw you and knew it was you.”

“You knew, huh?” She asked, unable to hide the smile that was creeping onto her face. “Sure it wasn’t the genetics checker I know you always keep in your jacket?”

He let out a loud laugh, a laugh she’d missed so much. “Alright, you got me there, Doc. Nice to know that even with this new, very nice, body, you haven’t changed that much.”

“I can say the same. Heard you snogged Graham less than 2 minutes into knowing him.”

“Hey, to be fair, I thought he was you.”

Jack motioned to the bartender for a drink and when she went to do the same, he stopped her. “I think you’ve had enough,” he said, nodding towards the small cluster of glasses that had accumulated in front of her. 

She pouted, then realized what she was doing, and stopped. She resumed when she saw Jack swallow a mouthful of the liquor.

“I’m not drunk, you know,” She muttered, flicking off a piece of lint on her jacket.

“Maybe not, but you will be soon if you keep this up.” He turned to look at her. “What’s got you in a drinking frenzy?”

She opened her mouth to reply with the instinctive “nothing”, but stopped herself. This wasn’t just anyone. This was  _ Jack _ , and he’d known her longer than most. He’d been there during leather jacket and big ears regeneration. He’d seen who she was, right down to her core. If anyone could understand, it would be him.

“I don’t know. I’ve been pretending for so long that things are fine, but  _ they’re not _ . You’ve met my Fam, and you’ve seen how amazing they are, but I’m hiding so much from them and it’s tiring. I love them, but they wouldn’t get it and I wouldn’t know where to start. I purposely didn’t tell them because I wanted to try and move on, but I don’t think that’s possible. Tragedy and pain is just part of being who I am, and I don’t want to…  _ infect  _ them with that.”

Jack just nodded along as she talked. He genuinely seemed to be listening and more importantly,  _ understanding _ . 

“So you came here to run away from your problems?”

The Doctor sheepishly nodded. She was slightly hunched over, waiting for the wave of criticism and judgment that was sure to come.

“I get it.”

She paused, rising to give him a curious look. He chuckled in return.

“Of course I get it, Doctor. I’m probably one of the only people in this universe who truly gets it. When your life is said to go on forever, you lose yourself. Your mistakes and failures follow you everywhere. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you change, there are some things that just don’t go away. The worst part is, you can’t just forget them either.”

She felt some of the weight on her shoulders lift, both metaphorically and physically. The little effects the alcohol had had on her were wearing off.

Sensing this, Jack moved off the barstool. “Come on, I have something to show you.” He slapped a few bills of the local currency on the bar and held out a hand. “Milady.”

She rolled her eyes but took it anyways. Together they exited the bar.


	2. River

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘“I guessed as much,” The Doctor half-scoffed, as the engines started up. “Whose ship is it then?”
> 
> “It’s mine.”
> 
> Every atom in the Doctor’s body froze. She was lucky she didn’t need to breathe because otherwise, she would have been in trouble. Her mind was simultaneously racing at the speed of light and stuck in place. Those simple two words repeated over and over again in her head: it’s mine it’s mine it’s mineitsmineitsmineitsmine  
> mineminemineminemine-‘

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy :)

The Doctor shivered as they stepped outside. It was cold and she didn’t know how she hadn’t noticed that before. Then again, she’d gone into the bar with a different kind of numb feeling surrounding her. She pulled her jacket tighter around her.

“Don’t worry,” Jack said, leading her down the street. “We aren’t too far away.”

“Where exactly are we going?” she muttered through chattering teeth, raising an eyebrow.

“To my ship.”

She gave him an annoyed look and he only laughed. When he still refused to give her a clearer answer after a few seconds of her glaring at him, she huffed, which only made him laugh harder. 

“Wow, this regeneration is impatient,” he teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him in response.

They walked from a few more minutes before coming to a stop in front of a large patch of barren land. Jack took out a remote from his pocket and pressed a button on it. When nothing happened, the Doctor opened her mouth to make some kind of witty retort, but he shushed her.

“One second…” He trailed off, seemingly waiting for something. Just as the Doctor was about to speak again, a hissing sound emitted from around them. A large piece of a metal-like something began to materialize, soon revealing itself to be a spaceship. It was nothing special on the outside, the tip of the craft looking like a dulled down arrowhead that eventually led into a trapezoid-shaped body. Streaks of dark navy and white stood out against its plain light grey base color. It had a kind of glimmer and shine to it, assumingly the aftereffects of what must have been an invisibility shield. Four separate legs were grounded in the dirt, presumably able to retreat into the main body when taking off.

“Impressive, right?” Jack grinned, looking all too proud of himself. 

The Doctor, just to be equally as cocky, replied, “I’ve seen better.”

She followed him up an open ramp and into the main vessel of the ship. While the outside hadn’t stood out, the inside was it’s mirror opposite. The navy had transformed into a sharp light blue and it zipped throughout the silver interior. The white danced with it, so the two colors were intertwined. Pillars of clear crystal were placed around the room, going floor to ceiling. The main controls were in the middle of the room, lit up with an  otherworldly royal blue glow. The panel expanded 360 degrees and the Doctor moved around it, slightly in awe. Her fingers trailed over the buttons, feeling them slowly. They were new, and she had a very strong urge to press them, just to see how they’d feel. After all, she wasn’t very used to new things.

The ship looked wonderous, and more importantly, expensive.

“Is this your ship?” She asked suspiciously, turning back to face Jack.

“Nope,” He said casually, moving towards the control panel. He started pushing buttons and pulling down levers.

“I guessed as much,” The Doctor half-scoffed, as the engines started up. “Whose ship is it then?”

“It’s mine.”

Every atom in the Doctor’s body froze. She was lucky she didn’t need to breathe because otherwise, she would have been in trouble. Her mind was simultaneously racing at the speed of light and stuck in place. Those simple two words repeated over and over again in her head:  _ it’s mine it’s mine it’s mineitsmineitsmineitsmine _

_ mineminemineminemine- _

“Hello, Sweetie,” The new voice said. A figure emerged out of the shadows and the Doctor didn’t have to see her know who she was. That voice was as familiar as her own. 

“River,” She whispered, her voice more than shaky. Suddenly the empty space on her ring finger felt even more bare than usual.

“I like the upgrade,” The archaeologist said, a suggestive smirk on her face. Despite how long it had been since they’d last seen each other, the Doctor still felt herself flush.

“T-thanks.” She was (objectively) thousands of years old. Stammering should  _ not _ still be an issue for her.

River took a moment to study her, so she did the same. Her wild, wavy hair, that spark of mischief that was always in her eyes, the softness of her expression… nothing had changed. There was no way to argue that this wasn’t River Song…  _ her  _ River Song.

“I’m guessing I’m dead in your time?” Even though the Doctor had been expecting it, that question was still like a blow to the gut. She opened her mouth to reply, to say  _ something _ , but her tongue felt like tar.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” River hummed, seemingly completely unaffected by the truth of that answer. She sauntered over to Jack and started to read something on one of the screens.

It took a second, but the Doctor’s brain finally caught up with the situation.

“Hang on,” She said, moving around to the other side of the panel so she was facing both of them. “You two know each other?”

Two separate winks were all she got in response. She had a feeling there was a story behind their meeting, but she honestly wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it. 

“Alright,” The Doctor said, crossing her arms. “I give in. Why am I here, and why are you two together?”

“You’ll find out soon enough, Sweetie,” River hummed. She was casually gliding around as if nothing about this situation was abnormal, but the Doctor noticed the occasional glances at her ring finger.

“Hey,” She said softly, taking River’s hand in her own. “I never took it off, even after you… even after you were gone. It slipped off when I regenerated and I haven’t been able to find it since.”

A beat of silence and then River wrapped her arms around her.

“I love you,” She whispered in a gentle voice.

“I love you too.”

Her mouth tasted like sandpaper, and those words felt so raw and rough and true. Her ex-wife- no, her wife, was here and alive and so, so beautiful. Looking at River made her hearts beat in a way they hadn’t in a long time. It hurt, even more, knowing that she was going to have to let go eventually, and then she’d lose River all over again.

“No,” River said firmly, tightening their hold on each other. “Don’t you dare do that.”

“Do what?” 

“Ruin the moment. I know that look in your eyes and I can tell you’re already thinking about what happens when this is over. Just enjoy it, ok? Enjoy us being together, even if it won’t last forever.

River pressed their foreheads together and the Doctor realized that for the first time, River was taller than her. Not by much, but still taller. She let out a small laugh and felt the weight on her shoulders shrink more.

The sound of the legs of the ship going down and the burst of air signaled that they’d landed somewhere. The two women separated and the Doctor was led to the doors of the ship. 

“You ready?” River asked. Jack came over and stood on the Doctor’s other side. 

“I guess?” She said, still not quite sure what she’d gotten herself into. The ramp lowered and the Doctor gasped.

She’d seen many views in her lifetimes, but this… She caught Jack’s eye. He had a half-smug, half-triumphant expression on his face and the Doctor realized that he’d planned this. Her Fam must have told him something was wrong and he’d decided to go and find a way to help.

“Thank you,” She mouthed to him. He nodded in reply and all three of them stepped out of the ship together.


	3. Missy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘“Missy, how… wait, are you seriously eating popcorn right now?”
> 
> Missy shrugged and tossed a piece of the aforementioned item into her mouth. The bucket before her was half empty. 
> 
> “A brought snacks for what I thought was going to be good entertainment, but I suppose I was wrong.” She sighed dramatically, in classic Missy fashion. “That doesn’t happen that often you know, me being wrong.”’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!

They’d been traveling around together for about a week now. The Doctor knew things were coming to an end, but as River had told her, she wasn’t going to let that spoil what was left.

On day eight or so, they’d decided to travel through time, instead of space. The course was set for March 15, 44 BC Rome  (aka the day Julius Caesar was assassinated). It had been River’s turn to pick and apparently she and Jack had some kind of bet they refused to tell the Doctor about. She was slightly upset about this but did her best to hide it.

The ship they’d had before turned out to have been stolen (not that the Doctor was surprised) and the owners had… requested it (to put it lightly) back, so they’d gone back to traveling in the TARDIS. As the wheezing sound indicated that they’d landed, the Doctor turned to her two current companions. 

“Alright, so, what are the rules?” River rolled her eyes while Jack only grinned mischievously.

“Do we have to go over this every time?” Her wife complained.

“Yes!” The Doctor exclaimed. “After what happened last time…”

“That was an accident,” Jack protested, but the gleam in his eyes told her that it had most definitely  _ not  _ been an accident.

“Rules.”

Jack let out a long, exaggerated sigh.

“No weapons.”

“No weapons unless we’re in danger and getting shot at,” River added, but quickly quieted at the sharp look she got from the Doctor.

“And?”

“No purposefully creating situations where weapons or fighting are needed.”

“Good. What else?”

“No stealing, bribing, creating havoc, or seducing the locals,” River said, counting the four things off on her fingers. Jack looked a little miffed at the last one, as he always did.

“And most importantly?”

“Yes, we know, no changing important events. Can we go now?” Jack finished impatiently.

The Doctor nodded and adjusted her suspenders. She knew that her outfit wasn’t exactly period-appropriate (being a woman truly sucked at times), but there was no way she was wearing a dress or anything that resembled a dress. River, on the other hand, looked stunning in her ensemble, and the Doctor was having a hard time focusing on anything but her.

“Geronimo?” River said cheekily, offering her arm. The Doctor smiled back and took it, and they followed Jack out the double doors.

The sun was shining extremely bright as they stepped out and the Doctor immediately regretted wearing her jacket. Her body temperature/regulation wasn’t the same as a human, but she still felt like she was boiling alive. River, being River, immediately sensed this and smirked.

“I told you to wear something different,” she hummed in her “you know I’m always right” tone.

The Doctor frowned, muttering something under her breath about “gender norms” and “traditional clothing”.

They found Jack standing a little bit away from where the murder would happen. He’d chosen a spot where they could still see what was happening, but also go undetected. 

“Do we have to witness this?” The Doctor muttered, leaning into River’s side.

“You don’t have to watch, you know. You can go explore the town.”

She paused to think about Jack’s suggestion but then shook her head. “I’m sticking with you two.”

Her little determined head nod made River laugh. “Even if it means watching a famous historical figure get murdered?”

“I’ve seen worse.” She hated how true that statement was.

For once the Doctor seemed to have gotten the time right because there he was and there they were too and-

She closed her eyes. Even after all of her years traveling through space and time, there were still some things that hurt to see. She knew events like this needed to happen, as they were fixed points, but some part of her ached to just go and help, to stop anyone from being hurt.

“Well, that was boring.”

The Doctor’s head turned around so fast that she felt what must have been the effects of whiplash. She knew that voice almost as well as she knew her own. That accent had a habit of popping up in her head in the most unhelpful moments. She’d dreamt of hearing it again in person and apparently, the universe had heard.

“I hoped there would be more blood,” Missy mused.

The Doctor gaped at the other woman, opening her mouth and then closing it in a very goldfish-like manner. She fumbled for words, any words that would help her at this moment, but none seemed to come. It was like seeing River all over again. The adrenaline, the disbelief, the fear, it was the same. The logical part of her brain was reminding her of what had happened the last time she’d seen the Master, but she didn’t care. All common sense had been thrown out the window. 

River and Jack were both pointing weapons at Missy, which wasn’t entirely unwarranted considering who she was, and the Doctor didn’t have it in her to argue with them.

“Missy, how… wait, are you seriously eating popcorn right now?”

Missy shrugged and tossed a piece of the aforementioned item into her mouth. The bucket before her was half empty. 

“A brought snacks for what I thought was going to be good entertainment, but I suppose I was wrong.” She sighed dramatically, in classic Missy fashion. “That doesn’t happen that often you know, me being wrong.”

“Oh, it happens more than you think. You do remember the time when you-”

“Permission to shoot, Doc?” Jack interrupted through gritted teeth. It didn’t surprise the Doctor that he still had problems with the Master, no matter what form they took. After all that had happened on the  _ Valiant _ , he had every right to want Missy dead. She vaguely wondered how Jack knew about Missy, but he was immortal. He was bound to have come across this information at some point.

“Jack, no,” she insisted, putting herself in the line of fire. River lowered her gun, but Jack still held on tight to his.

“Doctor, get out of my way,” he hissed, but she stayed where she was. When he realized that she wasn’t going to move, he slowly lowered it.

“You’ve gotten good at getting your pets to obey you,” Missy commented absentmindedly, a smug grin on her face. This statement made both guns raise again.

“Okay, come on, let’s talk about this,” the Doctor pleaded, spreading her arms out to further separate them. “Weapons down.”

No one listened to her. She mentally groaned and turned to look between the two groups. “Please no fighting or antagonizing anyone. This is neutral ground, okay? This is metaphorically Switzerland. If anyone fires a weapon or starts getting physical, I will strand them here in ancient Rome.”

A quick pause and then, “Alright, stranded for two weeks max, maybe three depending on the situation.”

“Fine,” Missy grumbled. “But I’m only agreeing because I’m absolutely loving this new look.” She winked at the Doctor, which made her turn a very, very prominent shade of pink. River and Jack relaxed just a fraction at that. They stowed away their weapons, although it was obvious they were both still on guard.

The sound of shouting in the distance made everyone slightly jump, and the Doctor remembered that they were technically at a crime scene.

“Alright gang,” She said, rubbing her hands together in a very bowtie-regeneration manner. “I guess that’s our cue to leave.”

The Doctor spun around and started back in the direction of the TARDIS, but a hand grabbed her wrist and stopped her. Her two current companions who had been walking side by side with her stopped too, but she motioned for them to go ahead. Soon enough, she was left alone with Missy.

“You seem surprised to see me,” The other time lord (or lady, as Missy would correct) said, tilting her head. Her Scottish accent made the Doctors hearts beat faster than normal and she had a sudden longing for a time that no longer was.

“It’s been a while,” She replied with a shrug. She refused to meet Missy’s gaze because if she did she knew she’d break down. She knew that she’d end up saying something she shouldn’t or giving away something because this was  _ Missy _ . This was the Master, her oldest friend in the universe, and no matter what happened, she would always love her. 

“You’ve never been good at hiding things,” Missy tutted, letting go of the Doctor’s hand and slowly circling her. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” The Doctor muttered, her voice barely audible. 

“You know what I mean. What happened to me?”

The Doctor squeezed her eyes, trying to prevent the tears that were welling up in her eyes from falling. Despite her efforts, a single one slid down her face. She rushed to wipe it away.

“It was that bad, huh?” Missy said, stopping in front of her. “At least tell me I went out in style.”

The Doctor let out a shaky laugh. She hadn’t known exactly what had happened, but she knew Missy would never have let her death be boring or non-stylish. The Master had always had a flair for the dramatic, and with Missy that had seemed to increase tenfold. 

“Tsk tsk, Doctor, letting your emotions get the better of you as always,” Missy slung her umbrella over her shoulder. “I thought you would have learned by now that-”

It was a very impulsive decision and the Doctor knew she should have probably not done it, but as Missy said, her emotions were all over the place. She opened her arms and threw them around her oldest friend, hugging her for the first time in what seemed like forever.

Missy stayed frozen, not sure how to respond to the gesture, but ended up  awkwardly patting the Doctor’s back. When the Doctor finally let go, she knew she looked like a happy puppy (she’d been told that she did), but she didn’t mind. She’d managed to get a hug without being shot at, which was a first.

“Travel with me,” she said, moving to hold Missy’s hand in her own. The other time lord didn’t pull away, which was another surprise. She probably just wasn’t used to this amount of contact or affection. 

“Travel… with you… and your two pets…” Missy said, looking at her in confused astonishment. 

“They’re not my pets,” The Doctor said, frowning. The determined look in her eyes didn’t waver though.

She couldn’t read Missy’s expression and when a minute or so past with no answer, the Doctor began to worry that she’d really overstepped boundaries. Just as she was opening her mouth to try and take it back, Missy said, “Sure.”

“What? It’s that simple? You’ll just come along?”

“Well, my ship may or may not have crashed in a non-fixable way, so my plan was to hijack your TARDIS, but an invitation just makes this all so much easier.”

She couldn’t help the wide grin that spread across her face. Missy scowled at the joy that was practically radiating off the Doctor. “This doesn’t change anything. Besides, I promise to explode at least three planets before you decide to kick me out.”

_ It’s good to have you back, Missy. _


	4. Who Needs a Recipe?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “ Less than 24 hours later, and multiple knives had been thrown, many deaths had been threatened, and overall the level of bickering had exceeded the Doctor’s limit. She was tired of it and there was only one way to fix it: team bonding.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy!!!!!

Less than 24 hours later, and multiple knives had been thrown, many deaths had been threatened, and overall the level of bickering had exceeded the Doctor’s limit. She was tired of it and there was only one way to fix it: team bonding.

The Doctor had great ideas. She was a fountain of them really, and usually, her ideas worked out fine. No, they worked out great. Sure they were occasionally a few… problems, but in the end, everything worked out.

_ Ha, if only. _

This was probably one of her better ideas, she had to admit. It was excellent, a complete full-proof plan. 

What was the plan, you may ask?

They were going to bake. The Doctor, Jack, River, and Missy were going to bake. 

\-----------------

After much pleading and many reminders of favors that had yet to be fulfilled, it was decided that they were all going to try and bake a cake. A ‘moron cake’ as Missy called it, although the Doctor hated that and had instead knighted it a ‘friendship cake’. Missy had rejected that almost immediately and eventually it was settled that it would just be called ‘a cake’.

River had had to lead them to the kitchen because the Doctor was clueless to its location. 

“Honestly,” River scolded as they turned the corner into the aforementioned room. “How long have you had this ship for? And you still don’t know where things are?”

The Doctor shrugged sheepishly and hopped up onto one of the stools next to a counter. Missy sat next to her while River went exploring for ingredients. Jack leaned against the door frame.

“Do we even have a recipe?” He asked, finding the hole in their plans before they’d even begun. 

“I’m sure we can figure it out,” The Doctor said, having already found out that the seats could spin and was on the way to making herself dizzy. River reached out a hand and grabbed the back, halting the makeshift merry-go-round. The Doctor pouted.

“It’s just a few simple ingredients,” River said, going through the cupboards and occasionally pulling something out.

“‘Just a few simple ingredients’,” Missy mimicked. “Tell me, curly, have you ever made a cake before?”

“No,” River replied meticulously, ignoring the slight jab. “But it can’t be that hard. Besides, have you ever made a cake before?”

“Not one that was supposed to be edible.” 

No one dared to dig deeper into Missy’s answer. 

A few minutes later and there was a cluster of ingredients on the table. There were a few measuring tools too and River looked proud of herself.

“Alright, gang,” the Doctor said, hopping off the stool and rubbing her hands together. “Let’s get baking.”

Jack moved towards them but Missy stayed put.

“Aren’t you going to help?” the Doctor asked, putting on her best puppy-face. Usually, it would have melted anyone's resolve, but Missy wasn’t just anyone.

Missy snorted. “Of course not. I don’t do domestic, thank you very much.”

“Fine with me,” Jack said, shifting to put as much distance as possible between the two. River nodded in agreeance. 

“Oh, come on!” The Doctor complained, throwing her hands up in the air. “This is supposed to be our team-bonding! We’re supposed to do this together!”

No response. Well, at least she’d tried.

\-----------------

An hour later, they'd made zero progress. It turns out that maybe having a concrete recipe was required. River and Jack were so used to free-lancing that they’d forgotten what rules were. The Doctor would have happily reminded them, but she was too determined to turn back now. They all were. Okay, maybe not all. Three of them were determined while the one-fourth remaining was too busy throwing chocolate chips up in the air and trying to catch them with her mouth to bother caring. 

“Alright, I give up!” Jack said, backing away from the bowl of only flour in front of him. “What’s the difference between white sugar and brown sugar anyways?” 

“I don’t know,” The Doctor groaned, looking with despair at the number of eggshells scattered around her. Despite all the shells, no eggs could be seen. 

“We can’t stop now,” River hummed, rifling through the cabinets. 

“Yes we can,” Jack said, gesturing towards the bin where all previous attempts laid.

“Oh come on, Jack,” The Doctor said. “Let’s at least try once more. Besides, I didn’t think a simple cake could best the famous Captain Jack Harkness.”

Jack paused in the doorframe. 

“I wonder what others would say if they found that out? I’m sure they’d be very impressed,” She continued to tease.

“You wouldn’t,” He said, turning back around. 

“Oh, I would.”

Jack reached over for his bowl of flour. He grabbed a handful and turned to look eyes with the Doctor.

“You sure?”

“Absolutely. I think I still have that hot blondes number from the other week-”

Jack threw the fist-full of flour. The Doctor ducked just in time, avoiding what would have been a lovely addition to her outfit. Before she could comment on her victory, she realized that it hadn’t just landed on the floor or the counter behind her. It hadn’t hit her, but it had reached someone else.

Missy was surprisingly calm for someone who had just been covered in flour. In her purple get-up, the white grain stood out immensely. Very patiently, the Time Lady dusted off what she could and shook out her sleeves. Despite her best efforts, she was still extraordinarily white. 

The Doctor was trying her hardest not to laugh, especially looking at the expression on Jack’s face. He knew his demise was soon and was probably trying to decide whether or not he had the time to race for the door and attempt an escape. 

Missy smoothly got up from the stool and headed towards the other immortal. He seemed to be debating whether or not to go for some ammo (aka another handful of flour). In a split second, before he’d even had the ability to move, Missy had grabbed the bowl and dumped it straight on his head.

Complete and utter silence and then complete and utter chaos. 

Eggs were thrown and sugar was tossed. Whole sticks of butter were hurled across the room. The only successful thing they’d made, the icing, was completely gone and the majority of it was either on the Doctor’s face or in her hair. Even things that weren’t used to make the cake had been added to the mix. Foods and ingredients were pitched around without a care of the possible aftereffects. 

In conclusion, it was wonderful.

Finally, the Doctor threw her hands out. “Truce!” She called, not even sure who she was talking too. 

Slowly the destruction calmed. The Doctor took a second to step back and look at the results. 

Everyone was covered. River’s hair was matted down with excessive amounts of vanilla extract (the smell was very, very, very strong). Jack had a few egg yolks clinging to his jacket. Missy was now a lovely combination of milk and flour. The Doctor had it worse though (at least in her opinion). She was covered in frosting more colorful than the stripes on her shirt. 

Despite the disastrous outfit outcomes, the air in the room was filled with pure joy. Two of her companions were full-out grinning, and even Missy had a small, non-threatening or mischievous smile on her face. The three of them were even comfortably standing near each other, which was a first.

Maybe the baking hadn’t been a complete success, but the Doctor’s goal had been achieved. 

_ Everything was finally okay. _


	5. I Carry Them With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapppptteeeeerrrrrr! Expect angst and a lil fluff

_ Everything was not okay. _

A week later into traveling with the four of them and the Doctor was just about ready to jump into an ocean and let herself drown. If she’d thought River and Jack were bad before, adding Missy to the mix equaled utter chaos. Jack had slowly warmed up to her after the baking fiasco and then having seen that she wasn’t the same as the Saxon Master. 

Missy and River had bonded over certain things, mainly having the ability to easily make the Doctor turn red, and soon enough all three of her companions were in a sort of competition to see who could make her blush the hardest.

She hated it. There were only so many innuendos a person could take in one day.

Missy had stayed true to her promise. The Doctor had to stop her from blowing up at least two planets so far (and two important government buildings and five palaces but who’s counting (The Doctor was. She was counting)).

Jack had managed to seduce many, many different world leaders (some of whom were married/in a relationship) and had sort-of become the king of a foreign planet that he didn’t speak the language of? It had become extremely confusing by that point and the Doctor was tired of giving him the “talk”, as he called it. The “talk” included step by step ways on how not to flirt with every living being.

River had managed to gain at least three new bounties on her head and more than once they’d been hunted down because of old ones. Certain precious valuables, including the universe’s largest diamond, had been stolen. There were a few angry ex-’s here and there too, which totally didn’t make the Doctor jealous.

Though she would never admit it, she was loving being with them. The Doctor hadn’t been this happy in a very, very long time. She was trying to treasure all these moments with them, but it was hard not focusing on the negative: that they would soon all have to leave…  _ for good. _

These were the only three people in the world who knew her as well as she knew herself. At that moment they probably knew her  _ better _ than she knew herself. Along the way, she’d forgotten who she was, but they… they were able to see every little part of her. They’d been beside her for the longest time and even when she changed, they didn’t. They were her family. They were her home.

The Doctor pulled down the final lever, and the TARDIS let out the last wheeze. It had been her turn to pick and she’d set the coordinates to a viewing gallery of the most beautiful stars in existence. She may or may not have “bribed” the owner of the gallery so that they had it to themselves (to be fair, she’d been traveling with bad influences). 

“You all ready?” She asked, practically bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. She turned, expecting to see three at the very least content faces looking back at her, but startled instead. Each of her companions wore an aura of sadness, and the heaviness of it weighed down on the Doctor’s chest. It was obvious that something had been talked about without her presence. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked, not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer.

“Sweetie,” River started, taking a step towards her wife. “It’s time.”

“Time for what?” The Doctor asked, ignoring the shakiness of her voice. She turned away, unable to look any of them in the eye. 

“You know what,” Jack said gently. “You’ve known for a while.”

She was trying her best to hold back the flood of tears that were threatening to fall. She hated it, but she had known. The signs had been steadily growing, and she’d felt how time had begun to weaken the longer they stayed together. The universe had plotted their meetings, but to have all of them travel? With each other? That had been unexpected. Time was rebelling back. 

“It doesn’t matter, ok? Who cares about time? I have all I need here.” There were deep crescent-shaped marks on her palms from where she’d been clenching her fists tight. 

Missy scoffed. “You don’t mean that. If things were to continue this way, time would become unstable and people would consequently get hurt. The Doctor I know would never allow that to happen.”

“Well, maybe I’m not the Doctor then!” She yelled, surprising even herself. “If being the Doctor means losing all of you, then fine! I’m not the Doctor!” 

She punched one of the crystal pillars hard, ignoring the throbbing pain that followed. Her anger was rising, like an oncoming tidal wave, ready to drown out anything in its path. The Doctor opened her mouth to shout once more but froze when she saw the look on River’s face out of the corner of her eye. She’d shared many emotions with the woman she loved, but pity… that was one she was unfamiliar with and one she hated instantly. 

Guilt set in. The Doctor’s strength withered and she slumped down to the floor, burying her face in her knees. The others joined her, with River to her right, Jack on her left, and Missy in front of her. She pushed away from the feeling of just how right it was to be surrounded by them. 

_ They were her home. _

“You are the Doctor,” Jack said and the force behind those words shocked the Doctor. He fully-heartedly believed that.

“Nothing will ever change that,” River continued.

“Nothing,” Jack echoed, bumping into her shoulder playfully. The Doctor felt a smile begin to tug at the corners of her mouth.

“You are compassionate.”

“Loyal.”

“Brave.”

“You see the value in all life, even when no one around you does.”

“The universe has been hell-bent on destroying you and  _ you’re still here _ . Everytime you get back up, no matter the odds. You find a way, even if the whole world is against you.”

“You have the biggest heart of anyone I know, and being immortal, I’ve known  _ a lot  _ of people.” Jack winked at the double-entendre.

  
  


“Your belief in humanity is unwavering, despite all the horrors you have seen.”

“You fight for what you believe.”

“And above all-”

“You’re kind,” Missy said, interrupting the back-and-forth between Jack and River. “Just that. Kind.”

That last tiny ounce of positivity from Missy (of all people) made the Doctor melt. She felt all the tension in her body slowly dissipate. Her shoulders relaxed, and she shifted her legs so she was sitting criss-cross. She was full on smiling now.

“I’ve missed you lot,” She murmured, moving to hold one of Jack’s hands and one of River’s. She scooted forward until her knees were pressed against Missy’s.

Nothing else was said. They stayed like that for awhile, just the four of them. Everything beyond that moment was forgotten, and that was a-ok with the Doctor. She had this right now, she had  _ them  _ right now, and she felt peaceful.

Eventually, once even the Doctor was getting sore because of the unforgiving floor, they let go. The Doctor set the coordinates for Earth in 2020, a mutual leaving place the others had agreed on.

“You’re going there anyway, Sweetie,” River said. “We may as well just all get out then.”

It took seconds to arrive and once the TARDIS had finished materializing, they all stepped out. This time, the Doctor wasn’t afraid to admit she was crying.

Jack stepped up first.

“It’s been a pleasure, Doc,” He said, opening his arms. The Doctor gratefully stepped into them and hugged him with all of her strength. 

“I’ve known you for a long time,” Jack said pulling back. “Been there for at least two of your regenerations. I want you to know I would never have changed a single minute of it. Even back on that space station… you made me a better person. If I’d never have met you, I would have wasted away. Probably would have drunk myself to death." 

He chuckled and ruffled her hair, which made her wrinkle her nose. As if for the first time he noticed the height difference and smirked. “Finally taller than you.”

  
She stuck her tongue out at him through watery eyes.

He saluted. “See you later, Doc.”

“Goodbye, Captain Jack Harkness… and thank you.”

He winked and then pressed a button on his vortex manipulator (which she’d greatly protested against him having) and disappeared. 

She hated the silence that followed and desperate to fight the silence, turned back around to find River holding out a small gold ring. 

“My ring!” The Doctor gasped, reaching out to take it. It was the same one she’d lost, except it had been sized down to fit her finger.

“Found it in the metal grating,” River said, watching with a fond amusement as the Doctor slipped it on. “You’ve always been terrible at finding things, haven’t you?”

The Doctor reached out and cupped her wife’s cheek. “I found you again, didn’t I?”

“More like I found you,” River chuckled, mirroring the Doctor’s actions. Light brown eyes met green ones and the affection that was found within both was infinite. It went on and on forever and nothing, not even the vastness of time, could stop that. It was so whole and so pure, and the Doctor knew that she would always carry this love within her hearts. 

She didn’t want to let go. She never wanted to let go. 

_ Don’t make me let go. _

“I want you to promise me something,” River whispered.

“Anything.”

“Don’t let the fear win. You don’t need to be afraid of who you are, Doctor. Most of all, you don’t need to hide it. All your scars, all the pieces of you that are chipped or fragile or even broken, they’re apart of you. Your past does not define you, but the choices you make now do. You are still the Doctor I fell in love with all that time ago, ok?”

“Ok,” The Doctor whispered back. Gently, she tilted her head upwards and connected their lips. It definitely wasn’t their first kiss in general, but it was in this regeneration and it was magical. As cheesy as it sounded, it felt like she was on top of the world. Fireworks were going off in perfect sync and it just felt so  _ right.  _

“I love you,” The Doctor whispered, as they eventually pulled apart.

“I love you too, Sweetie.”

With a final peck to the cheek, River began to walk away. The Doctor didn’t look at anything but the women she loved until she couldn’t be seen anymore. 

With a shaky exhale, she mentally prepared herself for what was next.

  
  


“I hope you don’t expect any of that sentimental crap from me.”

The Doctor let out a small, broken laugh. “You know I don’t.”

“Good,” Missy said, leaning against her umbrella. “Then I suppose this is  _ au revoir  _ then.”

She held out her hand, and the Doctor took it. Instead of shaking it, the Doctor yanked it forward and pulled her oldest friend into a hug. This one was at least marginally better than the first, as Missy applied just the tiniest of pressure back before shoving the Doctor away.

“Oh come on, Doctor,” Missy said, straightening out her sleeves. “I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Sure you do,” The Doctor replied, rolling her eyes. 

Missy smirked slightly, and with a swing of her umbrella, disappeared. The Doctor blinked, slightly startled, but then just grinned. 

_ Out with a style.  _

This wasn’t the last time they were going to see each other, The Doctor knew that for a fact. Somehow, the Master and the Doctor always ended up together, no matter the form. Their time spent together now only hardened her resolve to help her friend further. She supposed, in the end, it would always be her and the Master.

Taking a second to regain any sanity she had left, the Doctor sighed and headed off to go find her Fam. She knew they’d have questions for her, but for once she didn’t mind. She was old, and not always wise, but that had never stopped her before and it certainly wasn’t going to now. If they asked, she knew exactly what the answer would be. 

**Have you got family?**

_ No. Lost them a long time ago. _

**How’d you cope with that?**

_ I carry them with me. What they would've thought and said and done. Made them a part of who I am. So even though they're gone from the world, they're never gone from me. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you enjoyed this series! It was an idea me and my friend came up with and she wanted me to write something with the four of them together. It turned out pretty decent in my opinion :)))

**Author's Note:**

> kudos and comments are appreciated :)


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